Al Haymon of PBC will pay undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez his guaranteed $35 million purse if he fights Mexico’s Jaime Munguia on May 4th, not if he goes with Jermall Charlo.
The Financial Factor
“The issue is that PBC finds it difficult to bet on such a high guarantee for Álvarez with a combination that, they consider, is likely to yield negative numbers,” said ESPN MX about a fight between Canelo and Jermall.
PBC is still taking a risk by betting that U.S. boxing fans will want to pay to see Canelo fight Munguia on Amazon Prime PPV because that’s a mismatch. Hardcore fans know Munguia well, having watched him pad his record with lesser fighters his entire 11-year pro career.
They know what Munguia is about. He’s a manufactured fighter in their eyes and not a true talent. PBC will be counting on the casual fans who don’t know what Munguia is about and think he’s a great fighter to purchase the Canelo-Munguia fight.
Will Canelo be Bossed Around?
Canelo isn’t used to being told what to do by a promoter, and he chooses to walk if PBC is trying to force him to fight Munguia. If Canelo refuses to face Munguia, PBC will let him leave and fight elsewhere. If Canelo wants a similar sum for fighting Jermall Charlo, he’ll have difficulty finding a promoter willing to risk paying him that.
Predictably, if Canelo (60-2-2, 39 KOs) bends to PBC’s wishes and takes the fight with Munguia on May 4th, they’ll look to force his hand to face David Benavidez in September by saying that they can’t guarantee his purse for a fight against anyone other than ‘The Mexican Monster.’
This would be the third and final fight of Canelo’s three-fight deal with Premier Boxing Champions. PBC wants value for the money they’re paying the superstar Canelo and a return on their investment. The best way they can do that is to pressure him to fight Munguia on May 4th and Benavidez in September.
If it’s up to Canelo, he’ll likely fight Jermall on May 4th and Munguia or Terence Crawford in September. Of course, with Canelo, you can’t count on him pulling someone you’d least suspect for his September fight, which could mean someone like Diego Pacheco, David Morrell, or the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol winner.